Growing up on a farm in Mildura, Cherie Dawkins (BEd(Sec), BSpecEd ’20, GradCertLeaderEd ’22) has always had a heart for helping others. Her upbringing held family values in high regard, and revolved around hard work, compassion, and community service.

“My grandpa was the mayor of Mildura, and my dad worked quite high up in child protection,” she recalls. “We were brought up to care for others and it was instilled in us at a very young age.”

It was her father’s influence that truly shifted her perspective. Her first overseas trip was to Bangladesh, not for a holiday but to visit orphanages. “I can still remember the poverty, and the conditions in which kids with disabilities were living,” Cherie says.

A later trip to Vietnam cemented her passion. “We visited another orphanage and I’ve still got a photo of me and my sister holding those kids. It just stuck with me. Those experiences really planted in me this deep care and focus on those with disabilities.”

Like many teenagers, Cherie wrestled with staying engaged in school while dreaming of exploring the world and chasing her creative passions. “I am a singer and enjoy being creative,” she says. “I wanted to explore life, and education just wasn’t my priority back then. I moved to Sydney for a few years, sang in bands, did private lessons and school workshops.”

Cherie returned to Adelaide, became a Student Support Officer (SSO), working in inclusive education for 14 years. “Being an SSO built so much strength in me,” she says. “It taught me how to manage and support kids, and really understand what they need.”

When she decided to become a qualified teacher, she knew exactly what kind of teacher she wanted to be. “If an education degree only offered mainstream teaching and not a special education degree, I wouldn’t have done teaching at all,” she admits. “I wanted to work in disability, that was non-negotiable.”

Cherie enrolled at Flinders University, as a mature-age student where she thrived. “I loved my time at Flinders, and the connections I made” she says.

She credits her studies with giving her a framework that still shapes her work today. “One of my lecturers taught us that behaviour is communication. That changed everything for me. If a student isn’t engaging, that’s still behaviour. The question is why? What do they need? That principle has guided how I lead my team and how I parent. It’s not just for disability education, it’s for every human being.”

Today, Cherie leads the Discovery Centre disability unit at Golden Grove High School and is the driving force behind Golden Graze – an innovative, student-run business selling curated grazing boxes. The program was born out of necessity when COVID restrictions made work experience placements difficult. “I was teaching SACE business, but I couldn’t get my students into workplaces,” she explains. “So I thought why not create the work experience here?”

Cherie and her students designed the Golden Graze concept together, launching their first grazing box to staff.

“I have some experience as a party and event planner and that really helped with this business model. We sold over 30 on our first release, it just took off,” she says proudly. In just seven months, the team has produced themed boxes for around 15 events, including R U OK? Day, Father’s Day, Special Person’s Day, and a Showbag release aligning with the Royal Adelaide Show, where every item was donated by local businesses.

But the real magic of Golden Graze isn’t the boxes, it’s the growth of the students. “It was a lot of work to get off the ground,” Cherie says. “Now, on sale days the kids run everything from designing posters, to packing boxes, to using the EFTPOS machine. They wear their uniforms with pride and they’re self-sufficient. That’s what it’s all about.”

Golden Graze has even funded new literacy programs for the Discovery Centre, and Cherie has seen students gain confidence to apply for jobs in the community. “We teach them to ask businesses, ‘Are you an inclusive employer?’” she says. “It’s powerful because it flips the conversation and makes businesses think about how they’re supporting diversity.”

The success of Golden Graze has also seen the model translate into a new mainstream program at the school. Four mainstream students are now enrolled in Pathways to Inclusive Practice for SACE points.

“They created a pamper box which included a facemask and so on. It was gorgeous, and they had to do the budgeting, designing, publicity, and sales. Programs like these are great for students who want options outside of a conventional education pathway.”

For Cherie, the work is demanding but deeply rewarding. “I love seeing kids use the strategies we teach for regulation and watching our unit thrive. I want it to be alive with lots of programs on offer, full of energy, full of heartbeat,” she says.

Her advice for future teachers? “Do it with your eyes open. Make sure your core reason for getting into education is to support students, not just to teach content. And for many kids, their need for connection far outweighs the content you’ll ever get to teach.”

The success of Golden Graze shows that sometimes the most powerful educational programs are born from passion, persistence, and a willingness to create opportunities where none existed. And thanks to Cherie and her team, the students at Golden Grove are learning much more than curriculum – they’re learning skills, confidence, and the belief that they have a place in the world.

Cherie Dawkins is a finalist in the Inclusive Practices in Education category for the 2025 Public Education Awards for spearheading Golden Graze and providing students with a disability with work skills. You can watch her award video here.

 

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